The Cycle of Reincarnation in the Four-Courtyard House: A Journey Through the Heavens

Faced with their questions, Li Xiao remained calm. He lightly touched the ground with his feet and flew into the air, like a celestial being descending from the heavens, landing lightly in front of the mother and daughter.

This scene instantly changed the expressions of Ziyuan and her daughter, and their tension and fear suddenly rose to their peak.

They relied on the Fountain of Immortality to prolong their lives, and lived in seclusion there for more than two thousand years, yet they still could not reach the level of being able to fly.

The young man's methods were far beyond their comprehension, which naturally made the mother and daughter even more vigilant.

Seeing this, Li Xiao smiled faintly, adopting a humble posture, and bowed to the two men, saying, "Greetings, you two. I am Li Xiao. I have come uninvited and have intruded into the secret realm. I hope you will forgive me."

He spoke very frankly: "I once read in an ancient book that there is a spring of immortality hidden deep in the snow-capped mountains of Shangri-La, with miraculous effects and endless vitality. I searched for it for many days in the snow-capped mountains, and after many twists and turns, I was fortunate enough to find this place."

This secluded place is hidden in the snowy mountains, isolated from the world, and has been almost untouched by outsiders for thousands of years.

Ziyuan and her mother have lived in seclusion here for many years, rarely interacting with outsiders. They are pure of heart and not very cunning.

In addition, Li Xiao has a handsome and gentle appearance, an ethereal temperament, and exudes a clear and clean natural aura, which makes people feel good at first glance.

The heightened vigilance that had arisen from not knowing the intruder's identity and purpose gradually dissipated at this moment.

Ziyuan's expression softened, her previous wariness fading away. She nodded calmly and said, "I see. My daughter and I have lived in seclusion here for many years, and very few people have been able to find this secret place. It is a kind of fate between us that you were able to find this place among the snow-capped mountains."

After saying that, she raised her hand and gestured for Li Xiao to sit on the stone bench next to her.

Ziyuan said softly with a hint of apology, "This place is remote and has never been visited by outsiders before. We don't have anything good to offer Mr. Li."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned to the girl beside her and instructed, "Lina, go and fetch a bowl of water from the Spring of Immortality to entertain Mr. Li."

The girl named Lina nodded obediently, then secretly glanced at Li Xiao before walking towards the spring.

Lina walked lightly to the small stone pavilion by the spring, scooped up a bowl of clear, bright spring water, and quickly turned back with the rough porcelain bowl in her hand.

"Mr. Li, please have some water!"

She gently placed the rough porcelain bowl filled with spring water on the stone table, and her clear and bright eyes fell on Li Xiao's face without blinking, with a hint of pure curiosity and excitement in them.

"Is this the man Mother was talking about? He's so handsome!"

Having lived through more than two thousand years, she had never seen such a handsome and extraordinary man, and she couldn't help but admire him in her heart.

"Thank you, young lady."

Li Xiao smiled faintly, raised his hand and picked up the rough porcelain bowl on the table to examine it carefully.

The spring water in the bowl is crystal clear, with tiny specks of starlight floating and shimmering, exuding a powerful and vibrant life force that washes over you, gentle and pure, cleansing your mind and soul.

He tilted his head back and drank the entire bowl of the Spring of Immortality in one gulp.

The cool spring water slid down my throat and into my stomach, instantly sending a refreshing coolness through my entire body.

The abundant life essence and spiritual energy contained in the spring water burst forth instantly, rapidly flowing through the limbs and bones, cleansing the meridians of the entire body.

With Li Xiao's already extraordinary and near-perfect physical body, the life force within the Fountain of Immortality has little effect on him anymore.

He silently circulated his cultivation technique, condensing and gathering all the pure energy within the bowl of spring water, transforming it into pure spiritual power, and storing it in his dantian without wasting a single drop.

A moment later, Li Xiao slowly opened his eyes and exclaimed sincerely, "Senior, this Fountain of Immortality truly lives up to its name. The life force contained within the spring water is powerful and pure, and its effects on nourishing the body and warming the meridians are excellent. It can be called a rare treasure in the world."

As he finished speaking, his gaze fell on Ziyuan, and with a hint of curiosity, he asked softly, "Judging from your dignified bearing and youthful appearance, you must have lived here for many years, right?"

Ziyuan did not hide anything from Li Xiao's question and nodded in reply, "My daughter and I have lived in seclusion in this secret realm for over two thousand one hundred years. It is all thanks to the nourishment of this Fountain of Immortality that we have remained youthful and have endless lifespans."

Li Xiao feigned surprise and said, "So, you two seniors were actually from the Qin Dynasty?"

Ziyuan nodded gently, a trace of distant and vicissitudes of time passing through her eyes. Then she slowly began to recount the past experiences of herself and her mother spanning more than two thousand years in detail.

She was originally a female Taoist priest during the Qin Dynasty who possessed unparalleled secret arts and owned a vast library with countless treasures.

Hidden within is the world's only precious book recording the secrets of immortality, possessing profound knowledge of methods for prolonging life and achieving ultimate understanding, its fame quietly spreading throughout the world.

At that time, Qin Shi Huang unified the world and was known as the Dragon Emperor. He possessed a vast empire, and his obsession was to pursue the path to immortality.

In his quest for immortality, he searched far and wide for extraordinary individuals and sent his trusted general, Guo Ming, to search for them.

Guo Ming traveled across thousands of mountains and, by chance, found the secluded Ziyuan.

Seeing that Ziyuan possessed exceptional talent, profound magical abilities, and unparalleled beauty, he immediately realized that she was the capable person the Dragon Emperor had been searching for. Therefore, he brought Ziyuan back to the imperial city to meet the Dragon Emperor.

In the imperial court, the Dragon Emperor was deeply attracted by Zi Yuan's unparalleled beauty and extraordinary talent upon their first meeting. He was determined to take her into the harem as a concubine and have her accompany him for eternity.

Unbeknownst to anyone, during their journey of searching and spending every day together, the upright and cheerful Guo Ming and the aloof and intelligent Zi Yuan had already developed feelings for each other. They cherished each other, secretly pledged their lives to one another, and wholeheartedly hoped to spend their lives together.

This secret feeling could not be hidden for long and soon reached the Dragon Emperor's ears.

The emperor, who held absolute power and was known for his absolute authority and intolerance of disobedience, was enraged when he learned that his beloved was having an affair with one of his generals. His fury swept across the entire imperial city.

However, he knew that only Ziyuan could perform the longevity technique at the moment, so he did not react on the spot. Instead, he pretended to be magnanimous and agreed to Ziyuan's plea, promising that as long as she used the longevity technique to the fullest, he would pardon Guo Ming's death sentence and grant the two of them their wish.

The naive Ziyuan believed it to be true and, in order to protect her beloved, devoted all her cultivation to performing the secret technique of immortality for the Dragon Emperor.

But right after the secret technique was completed, the Dragon Emperor broke his promise and ruthlessly ordered the execution.

On the execution ground, Guo Ming was publicly executed by being torn apart by five horses, dying a gruesome death right before Zi Yuan's eyes.

Witnessing the tragic death of her beloved, Ziyuan was heartbroken and devastated.

Before she could recover from her despair, the enraged Dragon Emperor struck again, his blade piercing her body and severely injuring Zi Yuan's heart meridian, leaving her critically injured and on the verge of death.

Extreme grief and hatred fueled the dying Shion's overwhelming obsession.

At the cost of her own life, she burned her life's cultivation to unleash a forbidden curse, turning the Dragon Emperor and all his soldiers into terracotta warriors, sealing them permanently in an underground tomb, never to see the light of day again.